This invention relates generally to the field of portable trays and the like. More specifically, it relates to a foldable or collapsible tray that can be either self-supporting or supported on a person's lap.
Portable trays, and particularly foldable or collapsible trays, have become widely popular for a variety of uses. They are frequently used, for example, by bedridden persons, by children who want to eat while watching television, and by persons attending picnics or outdoor events.
Several approaches to portable tray design have been taken by the prior art. One approach is that of a collapsible table or tray formed from a sheet of corrugated cardboard or the like, which is cut and scored so that it can be folded to form a table or a tray with a flat top and downwardly-extending sides. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,240,024 - Stone et al. discloses a foldable table of this sort that may adapted for use as a beach table or a bed table, depending on its dimensions. An adhesive is used to hold the table together in its folded configuration. Thus, the table or tray, once used, cannot conveniently be collapsed for storage and reuse. U.S. Pat. No. 3,438,345 Lasaine et al. discloses a collapsible table that is similar in concept to the Stone et al. device, but with interlocking components that allow the table to retain its folded configuration without adhesive, so that it may be repeatedly collapsed and refolded for storage and reuse.
Another approach is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 2,663,603--Newman and U.S. Pat. No. 2,697,018--Georgides. These patents disclose lap trays having a rigid, planar central portion and side members that extend from under the central portion to engage the outside of a seated person's thighs for stability. Such lap trays exhibit greater structural strength, rigidity, and stability than the folded cardboard trays described above, but they are typically heavier and more expensive, and thus not suitable where light weight is preferred, or for uses, such as outdoor events, in which a disposable tray may be desired.
Thus, it would be advantageous to provide a portable tray that combines the low cost and light weight of the folded cardboard trays, with the strength, rigidity, and stability of those trays having thigh-engaging side members.